


First Gig at Hogwarts

by Woodspurge (banquos_ghost)



Category: The Libertines
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:35:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23397844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/banquos_ghost/pseuds/Woodspurge
Summary: The Libertines are all Ravenclaw pupils at Hogwarts. Silliness ensues.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 56
Collections: Peter and Carl fics to lift our spirits during self-isolation





	First Gig at Hogwarts

**Author's Note:**

> This is a lighthearted imagining of the boys at Hogwarts, as per the Tumblr prompt. Apologies for any Hogwarts inaccuracies, been a while since I read the books. It's also cringeworthy, but ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ I've written it now so I may as well post it and hopefully give some momentary amusement in these desperate times.
> 
> However.. I have always thought of Peter as a Ravenclaw student for some reason so it's been nice to expand on that a little.

It was those Muggle music obsessed Ravenclaw boys that had got Hogwarts in lockdown. Students whispered as they passed one another in the corridor asking if they had heard anything about a repeat performance. Everyone that was anyone had been there, and those that hadn’t been there were apt to lie and say they had been there.

They were to be frustrated in their desire for another performance, for many months at least. The will was definitely there, but nothing further could be planned by the four miscreants that were the cause of the lockdown, not now they were in perpetual detention with Professor Snape. Despite their suffering now (and they were certainly suffering) neither Peter, Carl, Gary or John would have wanted it any other way.

******

The boys were all in the fifth year, exams looming, and this had been one last hurrah before heads down and study study study.

It seemed such a long time ago, when, with varying degrees of nervousness they had faced the sorting hat. Peter had expected Ravenclaw, being from a long line of Ravenclaws and he’d not been disappointed.

That first year, Carl had been the cool one that everyone wanted to be friends with, despite coming from a Muggle family he seemed so jaded and unflappable. Peter, from a magic family should have been the one showing _him_ the ropes, but Carl was the one that had presided over the Ravenclaw common room. He had made Muggle music cool and Peter, Gary and John were to be found any time they weren’t in lessons in the Muggle studies room labouring over musical instruments.

A few years later, and they could unironically call themselves a band as they were able to play some songs of their own composition quite respectably. They had yet to decide on a name for the band, it was a subject of frequent debate and discussions running into the early hours, with suggestions from anyone else in the vicinity always rejected out of hand. In lieu of a name that everyone involved could agree on, they continued dubbing themselves ‘the band’. Peter had hit on the idea of the band performing to a group of select, handpicked, lucky pupils. By which he meant the fellow doyens of the Ravenclaw common room. It was to be a tricky undertaking – they could only provide the full band experience in the Muggle studies rooms, as these were the only areas in Hogwarts replete with the electricity that was required for guitars and amps. However these areas were out of bounds after lights out, and somehow any other time seemed an almighty cop out and very un-rock and roll.

Peter wouldn’t have minded a purely acoustic set in the common room but got shouted down by the rest of the boys. They were lounging on the Ravenclaw common room sofas, enthusing over their own greatness and naturally wanting to share this with the rest of the school. Gary and John were mildly concerned about the logistics and shared Peter’s point of view, feeling that the Ravenclaw common room was the natural arena for their talents, as they already had quite the admiring circle of younger students drawn from their own ranks. To expect these otherwise exemplary students to go sneaking around campus after dark seemed quite an ask, and all bar Carl were doubtful of their power to persuade so many to break the rules.

‘Look, muppets, we need electricity, end of,’ Carl was starting to hold forth now. Peter braced himself. He knew what was coming next, this rant had echoed through their years at Hogwarts, being repeated with more conviction with each passing academic year. ‘You guys might be bloody magic but honestly, what’s with the Owl mail, researching stuff in the library and the hideous clothes? It’s all so deliciously anachronistic – ya know – emails are a thing, the internet’s a thing, fashion’s a thing. Just not here.’ He rolled his eyes and moodily turned his glance to the fireplace.

Carl liked to conveniently forget he was also a student magician during these rants. Gary piped up, ‘I don’t mind, I can drum anywhere, as long as I’ve got some kit.’

‘Well, you’re alright, Jack, then,’ Carl snarled in reply. Peter suppressed a giggle. John sighed. Carl continued, ‘Look, to give these fans the full benefit of our music I just think the whole 2 electric guitars, bass and drum combo is the best. Trust me, these guys are gonna be blown away by us. If we pull this off, we will go down in the annals of Hogwarts history!’

‘Hogwarts’ Anals?’ Peter tried to lighten the mood, was rewarded with a titter from Gary.

‘Oh grow up, you two. Enough beating around the bush, time to piss or get off the pot,’ Carl was never shy to mix his metaphors. 

The three other boys fell in line, and together they made their plan for the guerrilla gig. The plan was simple, they produced some flyers, giving time and location (Muggle studies rooms, 10pm, 2 days from now) and distributed said flyers amongst their fellow pupils. The distribution process involved vague threats of curses if these flyers fell into the hands of the wrong people (in other words, Filch or Snape). Peter had wanted to enchant the flyers to self-destruct after reading, however this proved too unreliable and hazardous and this idea was swiftly abandoned. It was one thing urging students to roam round the school after hours, and quite another to burn the whole place down with flaming flyers.

******

It was the night of the gig. Tensions and spirits were high. It hadn’t been too difficult to slip out of the Ravenclaw common room at around 8 o’clock and make their way to the Muggle studies room. They had set everything they needed up that afternoon during a free lesson so all they had to do now was have a quick rehearsal and sound check while they waited for the audience to arrive.

Carl fiddled with the dials on the amps, rotating them all they way to the maximum, ‘There we are all the way up to 11!’ Peter knew better than to question Carl’s exuberances, the dial was clearly on 10 but the last thing he wanted was a pre-gig argument. Gary shrugged, John looked alarmed.

‘You’ll wake the whole bloody school!’ John launched himself at the amps, turning the dials anti-clockwise. ‘We’ve never had ‘em as loud as that before! Aren’t you forgetting Filch’s little nighttime security ambles?’

‘Okay, okay,’ Carl couldn’t argue with the wisdom of that. Peter nodded in some relief, in the confined space it would be plenty loud enough. That’s if anyone actually turned up. Peter had nursed a gnawing anxiety in his stomach that afternoon concerning the gig. What if no-one showed? Or even worse what if they did and they had to entertain them with the threat of Filch and Snape lurking in the shadows?

The guys ran through the set list, each one of them making jarring cockups, bum notes and forgetting of lyrics that had the other band members glaring at them. Well, this was going to be fun, thought John. Hopefully no bugger would show and they could all scuttle off back to their beds.

At that moment, a hopeful head bobbed round the door. ‘Am I in the right place?’ the first year Ravenclaw could barely be heard.

‘Nah’, said Carl, with sneering sarcasm, ‘it’s in the potions class.’

The sarcasm was lost however and the boy started to turn towards the door heading for Professor Snape’s classroom. Peter had dropped his guitar and was schmoozing in a flash.

‘Don’t mind him, he’s a little bit nervous,’ Peter smiled reassuringly. ‘Anyone else say they were coming?’

‘Oh yeah, they should be on their way now,’ the first year said, ‘I just wanted to be first, get a good place’

Gary gesticulated at the open area in front of the makeshift stage. ‘Take yer pick, mate.’

The first year had been right, he was the first of many, and after about 10 minutes the place was heaving with expectant students.

Now that a crowd had gathered adrenaline was high. Peter took to the mike and a hush came over the crowd. ‘Good evening Hogwarts, I hope that you enjoy our show and….’

However, Peter’s words were lost as the rest of the band kicked in to the first song. The previous mistake ridden playing was but a memory as they rose to the occasion and gelled as never before. Cliché as it sounds, the crowd went wild.

Carl turned to Peter, a huge grin on his face, mirrored back at him. John and Gary were also swept up, and totally engrossed, the buzz from the enthusiastic crowd energising them. Indeed, they were so lost in the moment they failed to notice the crowd parting like the Red Sea to allow Snape and Filch to the front. The audience slipped away like a fistful of sand.

Gary was the first to notice the two new audience members, and abruptly stopped his drumming, John was next to notice, a mumbled ‘Oh.. shit..’ under his breath.

‘DOHERTY, BARAT, POWELL, HASSALL!!!’ Snape’s commanding voice managed to project itself over the feedback as Peter and Carl placed their guitars down.

Filch observed the proceedings smugly. ‘I knew something was going on…., ‘ he muttered under his breath.

‘My office. Now!’ Snape turned on his heel, expecting and getting total obedience. ‘Filch, go and get Professor Flitwick, I believe he will be most interested in the activities of certain members of his house.’

With hangdog posture the four boys followed the swishing black robes of Professor Snape down the corridor.

‘Who’s up for another one then?’ whispered Carl.

‘Yes!’ all the boys hissed whispers back in agreement.

But first there was the small matter of the punishment for this one.


End file.
